Applying metal bands to articles of manufacture



July 4, 1944- H. A. BoNDEsoN f 2,353,008

APPLYING METAL BANDS TO ARTICLES 0F MANUFACTURE Filed Jan. 7, 1941 3ySheets-Sheet', 1

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July 4, 1944. H A, BONDESON y2,353,008

APPLYING METAL BANDS TO ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE Filed Jan. 7, 1941 ssheets-sheet -3 Patented July 4, 1944 APPLYING METAL BANDS TO ARTICLES FMANUFACTURE Herman A. Bondeson, Providence, It. I., assignor to StandardMachinery Company, Cranston, It. I., a corporation of Rhode IslandApplication January 7, 1941, Serial No. 373,478

(Cl. Z8-15) 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for attachingrings or bands to articles of manufacture.

Although the method and apparatus of the present invention are ofgeneral application they are particularly adapted for attaching rotatingbands to projectile shells. The projectile shells used with largercaliber guns, such as one inch to eighteen inches, have rotating ringsor bands of relatively soft material encircling their peripheries. Whenthe shell is propelled through the gun the rifling lands in the bore cutinto the rotating band on the shell and due to the helical form of thelands cause the shell to rotate during its forward movement through thegun. Heretofore, the rotating band has usually been crimped on theprojectile shell but such a crimped band is apt to be loosely attachedto the shell, preventing its proper rotation, and is liable to becomedisconnected from the shell due to centrifugal force after the shellleaves the gun-barrel. Moreover, such a crimped rotating band does nothave a uniform outside diameter. y

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a method ofand apparatus for attaching a band or the like to an article ofmanufacture, such as a projectile shell, by swaging the band around itsentire periphery to compress it to a smaller diameter to grip theperiphery of the shell or other article.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of and apparatusfor attaching a band to an article of manufacture by compressing anddeforming the material of the band to cause it to interlock withserrations on the article and conform to a uniform diameter at itsperiphery throughout its length.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the typeindicated which will facilitate the attaching of bands to articles ofmanufacture and one which is adapted to be operated by unskilledworkmen.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the typeindicated adapted to support the article with the band properlypositioned thereon while feeding it into a rotary swaging head.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the typeindicated having a mandrel for supporting the article and a relativelymovable sleeve for initially positioning the band on the article andejecting the article from the mandrel after the band has been attachedthereto.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of thetype indicated which is of simple and compact construction to render iteconomical to manufacture and one which is adapted for use over longperiods of time without requiring repair or replacement of its parts.

Further objects of the invention are set forth in the followingspecification which describes a preferred embodiment of the invention,by Way of example, as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. In thedrawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view partly in sec- Vtion of an apparatusincorporating the novel features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1showing the means for actuating the hammers of the rotary swaging head;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of-a part of theapparatus showing the initial Adeformation of a rotating band by therotary swaging head and the engagement of the positioning sleeve with afixed stop or abutment;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3 showing the rotating band completelydeformed by the rotary swaging head and illustrating the flow of thematerial of the band beyond the rearward end of the recess in a shell;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the shell retracted and theend of the positioning sleeve in engagement with the end of the rotatingband to cause the shell to be ejected from its mandrel;

Fig. 6 is a. side view of the finished shell shown partly in section;and

Fig. 7 is a side view of the shell with the rotating band illustrated insection to show the serrations at the bottom of the recess andindicating the manner of initially applying the rotating band to theshell.

In accordance with the method of the present invention the article ofmanufacture, herein illustrated as a projectile shell 2, is providedwith a peripheral groove or recess 3 as illustrated in Fig. 7.Preferably, the bottom of the recess 3 is knurled or serrated asindicated by the reference character 4 in Figs, 6 and 7 to provide anirregular surface. The band 5 to be attached to the shell 2 is composedof relatively soft material, such as copper or a suitable alloy, and hasan inside dia'meter of such dimension as to adapt it to slide over theperiphery of the shell. The forward end of the rotating band 5. isalined with the forward end of the recess 3 in the shell 2 and swagedaround itsentire periphery to deform and compress the rotating band toseat its forward end in the recessin the rotary swaging head II.

and V(i6. 'head II is a door 31 having a reentrant orifice "erse thefeed memberr'li-Z.

shell, see Fig. 3. rlhe swaging action is then advanced axially to causethe entire band to be deformed and compressed. Due to the relativelysoft material of the rotating band and its deformation, due to theswaging, the material ows into the interstices between the serrations 4to cause it to tightly grip the shell. Preferably, a surplus amount ofmaterial is provided in the rotating band 5 whereby the deformation ofthe band due to the swaging operation causes the material to entirelyfill the recess 3 and to flow a short distance beyond the rearward endof the recess and form a flange or nn see Fig. 5. Aft'- er the rotatingband 5 has been swaged to the shell the flange or n 6 is preferablytrimmed oi to aline the rearward edge of the band with the rearward edgeof the recess 3 in the shell 2. The rotating band so attached thenprojects outwardly beyond the periphery of the shell and 4has its outersurface of uniform diameter throughout its length. It will be understoodthat the band 5 may have other forms, such as a ferrule, oil ring,bushing or the like and may be attached to other articles of manufactureeither in a recess or on the periphery thereof.

Referring to the present drawings, a novel form of machine or apparatusis illustrated therein for carrying out the steps of the above describedmethod. The frame i of the machine supports a rotary swaging head II andprojecting laterally therefrom is a bracket or arm i2 for supporting afeeding mechanism I3 for advancing the shell and rotating band into theThe rotary swaging head II comprises a drive` shaft I4 having anAenlarged end-portion l5 with a radial slot IB eX- tending across itsaxis, see Eigs. 1 and 2. Slidvably mounted in suitable bearing-guides atthe sides of the slot Iii is a pair of opposed hammers I'I and Iiihaving their outer ends I9 and of arcuate contour. Between the hammersl? and i8 is a pair of dies 2I and 22 having semi-cylindrical recesses23 and 24 which Anare outwardly toward the forward face of the dies witha gradual taper as indicated at 25 and 26 in Fig. 1. Surrounding thelenlarged end-portion I5 of the drive shaft I4 is a relativelystationary cage supporting rollers 3i held in pockets incircumferentlially spaced relationship. As the drive shaft I4 is rotatedat a relatively high speed the hammers I1, I8 successively move'radially outwardly between the rollers 3l due to centrifugal force andthen vare forced radially vinwardly due to the 'engagement of ltheirarcuate ends I9 and 25 with the rollers 3| whereby a rapid succession ofblows is transmitted to the dies 2| and 22. Abutting the ends of therollers 3l are retaining rings 32 and 33 and rsurrounding the cage 3@ isa head ring 34. Adjacent the retaining rings $52 and 33 are thrust rings35 At the front of the rotary swaging 33 for guiding the work into theflared opening 'at thefront of the dies 2l and 22.

The feeding mechanism I3 comprises a ram or feed member d2 sllidablymounted in the lonfgitudinallyextending bore of a bearing 4I) mounted onthe arm VI2 which projects from the frame It. The feed member 52 hasrack-teeth 43 formed on its under side which mesh with a pinion gear 44mounted on a shaft 45 extending transversely of and journaled in thebearing 40.

vAt the outer end of the shaft 45 is a capstan- Vwheel 46 for turningthe pinion gear 44 to trav- Extending through a central bore in the feedmember d2 is a mandrel-supporting plunger 4l rotatably mounted insuitable bushings 48, see Figs. 1 and 3. Supported on a rod 53 extendingrearwardly from the bearing (it is brake-band 54 engaging a dish 55 forrestraining the mandrel-supporting plunger l? against rotationrelatively of the feed member 42 while permitting a limited oscillationof the plunger. The mandrel-supporting plunger 41 is prevented fromlongitudinal movement with respect to the feed member 42 by means ofcollars 49 and 5B on the plunger which abut the ends of the member. Theforward end of the feed member 42 is slightly enlarged to provide anannular shoulder 5E.

A mandrel 51 is mounted on the forward end of the plunger 4l and has acontour corresponding to the contour of the powder-chamber 58 of theshell 2 to adapt it to fit closely therein. It will be understood thatthe mandrel 51 may have other forms to adapt it to support otherarticles besides the shell 2 illustrated in the drawings. Preferably,the mandrel-supporting plunger l1 and mandrel 5'! have alinedlongitudinally extending bores 59 and GEI to permit a small rod or thelike to be inserted therethrough to drive a shell 2 off from the mandrelwhen necessary.

Surrounding the forward end of the mandrelsupporting plunger di is apositioning sleeve ed having a stepped bore 65 of considerably largerdiameter than the diameter of the plunger il? to provide an annularopening therebetween. The rearward endof the sleeve Irl closely ntsaround the enlarged forward end of the feed member d2 and has an annularring 56 fastened thereto by means of screws 61 for engagement with theanmular shoulder 55 on the member. At its forward end the sleeve Gil hasa bore 68 of such dimension as to closely nt the mandrel-supportingplunger 47. Thus the sleeve @d is slidably mounted on the feed member 42and the mandrel-supporting plunger li? and has a support at either end.Detachably mounted on the forward end of the sleeve G4 by means of ascrew-thread- 7 ed connection at E3 is a tip-member 69 having a centralbore 7S of such dimension as to adapt it to receive the shell 2 betweenit and the mandrel 51. The forward end of the tip member 69 is adaptedto extend to the rearward end of the recess 3 in a shell 2 when `thelatter is properly positioned on the mandrel 51 whereof to engage therotating band 5 and position its forward end in alinement with theforward end of the recess. It will be understood that interchangeabletip members E9 may be provided for use with different types of work, orwith shells of different forms or caliber having the recess 3 at adifferent location, A lock-washer 'il is provided between the end of thesleeve and a shoulder on the tip member 69 to retain the latter inposition thereon.

The sleeve 64 is normally held in its forward position, illustrated inFig. 3, by means of a helical spring I2 acting between the forward endof the feed member 42 and the annular shoulder 'I3 at the end of thestepped bore G5 in the sleeve. Thus the sleeve B4 is adapted to advancewith the feed member 42 and mandrel-supporting plunger il? but ismovable with respect thereto against the action of 'the springAdjustable on a screw-threaded Yportion M of the sleeve 54 is a nut 'I5which may be locked in any desired position of adjustment by-a lock-nut15. A stationary abutment'l'l fixed to the cover 3l, see Fig. 1, ispositioned in thepath of 4movement of the nut when the mandrel 51hasbeen'advanced to the position illustrated in Fig. 3, whereby thetipmember 69 of the sleeve 64 is prevented from further movement intothe rotary swaging head. One embodiment of the invention having now beendescribed in detail Athe mode of operation of the'apparatus is explainedas follows: With the parts of the apparatus in their relative positionsillustrated in Fig. 1 a shell 2 with a rotating band 5 loose thereon ismounted on the mandrel 51 by sliding it Yrearwardly from the positionillustrated in dash lines in Fig. 1 to that illustrated in Fig. 3. Whenthe shell 2 is properly mounted on the mandrel 51 the rearward end ofthe rotating band 5 will be engaged by the forward end of the tip 69mounted on the sleeve E4 to position the forward end of the rotatingband in alinement with the forward end of the recess 3 in the shell. Y

The capstan-wheel 46 is then turned in counterclockwise direction asviewed in Fig. 1 whereby the pinion gear 44 and rack-teeth 43 on thefeed member 42 will cause the latter to advance axially through thebearing 4l) toward the rotary swaging head l l. Advancement of the feedmember 42 simultaneously advances the mandrel-supporting plunger 41 andthe mandrel 51 carried thereby due to the engagement of the end of thefeed member 42 with the collar 49 on the plunger. 5 thereon will beadvanced with the mandrel 5l to cause them to enter the flaring mouth25, 26 of the dies 2| and 22 as shown in Fig. 3. As the shell 2 androtating band 5 are advanced between the dies 2|, 22 the latter arebeing rotated at a relatively high speed by the drive shaft I4 and theengagement of the arcuate ends of the hammers l1 and I8 with thesuccessive rollers 3| will cause the dies to be reciprocated toward andaway from each other in repid succession. The engagement of the forwardend of the rotating band 5 with the rapidly reciprocating dies 2l and 22will consequently deform the band as indicated in Fig. 3. As the shell 2and rotating band 5 continue to be advanced into the rotary swaging headII the gradually reduced diameter of the flared mouth 25, 26 of the dies2l, 22 causes compression of the rotating band until it entirely flllsthe recess 3 when the shell reaches the position illustrated in Fig. 4.Simultaneously with the compression of the rotating band 5 the materialthereof is caused to flow into the inter- Thus the shell 2 and therotating band stices between the serrations 4 in the bottom of therecess 3 whereby the rotating band firmly grips the shell, see Fig. 6.Preferably, the rotating band 5 has a surplus of material to assurecomplete filling of the recess 3 in the shell 2 and to also cause a partof the material to flow beyond the rearward edge of the recess to form athin fin or flange 6, see Fig. 4.

As the forward end of the rotating banc'. 5 becomes completelycompressed into engagement with the bottom of the recess 3 in the shell2 the nut 'l5 on the sleeve 64 will bring up against the xed stop 11 onthe cover 31, see Figs. 1 and Any further longitudinal movement of thefeed member 42 by the rotation of the capstan-wheel 46 will cause themandrel 51 and mandrel-supporting plunger 4l to advance relatively ofthe sleeve 64, the compression of the spring 'l2 permitting suchrelative movement.

After the shell 2 has been forced through the dies 2l and 22 to swagethe rotating band 5 along its entire length the capstan-wheel 42 isrotated in clockwise direction to reverse the direction of eries.

movement of the feed member 42 to withdraw the shell 2 from the swaginghead Il. Thismovement is continued until the fin or flange 6 at-the endof the rotating band 5 engages the end of the tip member 69 of thesleeve 64. Further rearward movement of the mandrel 51 andmandrelsupporting plunger 41 with respect to the sleeve 64 will causethe shell 2 to be forced off from the mandrel 51, the spring 12 havingsuflicient tens-ion to eject the shell under normal conditions in themanner indicated in Fig. 5. Continued rearward movement of the feedmember 42 with respect to the sleeve 64 will cause its shoulder 56 tobring up against the ring 66 at the rearward end of the sleeve whereofthe sleeve 64 and feed member 42 will thereafter move rearwardly as aunit to restore the parts to first position.

Although not entirely essential, preferably the n or flange 6 at therearward end of the rotating band 5 is removed by a trimming operationin any suitable machine, such as a lathe. The shell 2 will then bepartially completed with a rotating band compressed along its entirelength and swaged inwardly to completely fill the recess 3 in the shelland grip the serrations 4 at the bottom of the recess. When applied inthe manner as above explained the rotating band will have a smoothcontinuous outside surface of uniform diameter throughout its length.

It will be observed from the foregoing specification that the presentinvention provides a novel method of and apparatus for applying bands,rings or the like to articles of manufacture by swaging the bands aroundtheir entire periph- It will also be observed that the apparatus of thepresent invention is of relatively simple cons-truction to adapt it foreconomical manufacture and to enable it to be operated by unskilledworkmen to carry out the present improved method of applying bands toprojectile shells or similar articles of manufacture.

While an improved method and a preferred form of apparatus are hereindescribed and illustrated it will be understood that modifications maybe made in the steps of the method and in the form and arrangement ofthe parts of the apparatus without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe invention. Therefore, without limiting myself in this respect, Iclaim:

l. In an apparatus for attaching a band to an article of manufacturehaving a peripheral recess, the combination of a rotary swaging head, amandrel for supporting the article in axial alinement with the swaginghead, a sleeve slidable on the mandrel and engageable with the rearwardend of the band to aline its forward end with the end of the recess inthe article, means for advancing the mandrel and sleeve until the bandenters the swaging head, and means engaging the sleeve for holding itagainst further movement with the mandrel.

2. In an apparatus for attaching a rotating band to a projectile shellhaving a peripheral recess, the combination of a rotary swaging head, amandrel for supporting the yprojectile shell in axial alinement with theswaging head, a sleeve slidable on the mandrel and adapted to positionthe rotating band in alinement with the recess in the shell, a springfor yieldingly holding the sleeve in proper position on the mandrel,means for advancing the mandrel and sleeve toward the swaging head, anda stationary abutment for engaging the sleeve during its advance to holdit against further movement with the mandrel.

3. In an apparatus for attaching a, rotating drel and sleeve, means foradvancing the mandrel `and sleeve toward the swaging head, a stationaryabutment engaged by the sleeve after the projectile shell and rotatingband have entered the vswaging head, said swaging head operating todeform the rotating band to cause it to enter the `peripheral recess inthe shell, and said sleeve engaging the deformed rotating band when themandrel is withdrawn from the swaging head to 10 eject the shell fromthe mandrel.

HERMAN A. BONDESON.

